on thursday, vice-president joe biden called for action before hundreds of u.s. mayors gathered in washington, d.c. foreign annual meeting. in his address, biden referenced the shooting rampage in newtown, connecticut that claimed the lives of 20 children, six school staff, and the shooter's mother. >> we have to do something. i hope we all agree there is a need to respond to the carnage on our streets and in our schools. i hope we all agree that mass shootings like the one we witnessed in newtown 34 days ago cannot continue to be tolerated. that tragedy in all my years of public life i think is -- has affected the public psyche in a way i have never seen before. >> a new poll affirms vice president joe biden's claim about the impact of new town, finding it affected the public opinion on guns or deeply than other shootings. a new poll says 54% of americans believe gun control laws should be tightened up from 39% last april. the increased support swept across party lines, with an 18- point rise among republicans. nine in 10 people said the three favored requiring